A couple weeks back I coerced a small group of close friends to road trip with me to spend my birthday south of Koblenz, Germany just below the point where the Moselle River flows into the Rhine. I had read somewhere years ago that many of the German immigrants who came to inhabit the area along the banks of the Missouri River (in the segment between Jefferson City and St. Louis) had once lived on the banks of the Moselle. They had made wine in Deutschland and later came to practice the same art in their chosen destination in middle America.
Although the steepness of the bluffs along the Moselle River was much more striking, I could see bits of Missouri in this landscape near the Franco-German border. The river was wide, a muddy green, as well as quick flowing: much like the Missouri River which also bears the nickname “Big Muddy”. However, what the Missouri lacks is the quant little villages and towns tucked in small valleys and ravines along the river banks where, theoretically, you can traipse from house to house ringing doorbells and asking to sample the last season’s wines.
As I chauffeured Laura, Natalie, Pete & Jakub between Moselle Valley hamlets, it became clear that there were a number of local rules that complicated the “drop by anytime” philosophy. The first was that the Weingüter operate only during afternoons on weekends. So after a couple of failed attempts in Kattenes, we decided to move on to the bigger town of Cochem. There, sampling the Moselle Rieslings was less about which vintners were open and willing to show off their wares and more about finding a restaurant with a good selection of local wines.
In this beautiful Moselle Valley town dominated by a beautiful, yet haunting, castle, we snuck from restaurant to bistro and on stopping to enjoy the light, fragrant white wines and taking advantage of a decent block of sun we’d been offered on an otherwise rainy weekend. It was relaxing to absorb the warming sun along the near-flooding river and observe how spring was slowly starting in the region. That’s when we also got wind of another rule: tourist season along the Moselle doesn’t really start until Easter weekend so it’s better to come visit after that, once wine cellar owners are ready for the Riesling-imbibing crowds.
Still, despite our seemingly premature arrival, we did have a fun culinary and oenological weekend in the villages we visited. Whether it was Niederfell or Cochem or Alken, we had some good wine and spirits and indulged in the very tasty local version of schnitzel made using a special mustard to marinate the meat. Also, hats off to the patient restaurant owners and cooks who took the time to explain their local gastronomy and cuisine to us and who tolerated our crowd when perhaps a few too many wines had been sampled. Or the day of wine-tasting had started too early.
Plus, kudos to the local tourist/hiker clubs or trailblazers who set up wonderful walking paths leading through local forests and taking wanderers to the tops of the bluffs that look out over the river valley. Despite some kinks in the weather, it was a wonderful weekend in one of Germany’s celebrated wine regions. The natural beauty coupled with the shenanigans of good friends made turning 50 a tolerable experience.
I would like to close by thanking Werner Sander and his team at the Café-Konditorei-Pension Sander for their amazing hospitality and excellent pastries. Plus, a big thanks to the staff at the Moselblick Niederfell restaurant for the beer sampling and the wonderful service, food, and mainly patience during my birthday dinner. And finally, a big shout out to our new friends from Tortesia who made a great weekend even more special. A weekend in the Moselle Valley … I highly recommend it.
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